Heartlines
by newyorklghts
Summary: She had survived the war, she had survived pain inflicted upon her by someone she thought loved her, but she did not know if she could survive this. She fell through time, 200 years into the past, finding herself in completely unfamiliar territory. Would she find a way to survive and return back home or do the heartlines have something else in store for her? Jamie/OC
1. Chapter 1

Just a quick note to say that 1) I do not own Outlander, I wish that would be amazing, 2) This is a Jamie/OC story, I have absolutely nothing against Claire, I think she is amazing, but I wanted to do something with an OC so here we are 3) I have read the book and seen the show so there will be elements from both in this story, for instance the four day honeymoon that Claire and Jamie get, I want to include that, there was a scene that should have been in this weeks episode that I really want to include as well 4) the title comes from the Florence + the Machine song of the same title, give it a listen if you like.

* * *

Emma wasn't entirely sure how she'd been coerced into coming along on Claire and Frank's second honeymoon. She knew that they probably didn't really want her along, and she was determined to give them as much time alone as possible. She knew that she wouldn't want her brother traipsing after her if she were on her second honeymoon, of course she hadn't even been on a first honeymoon. She listened idly as Frank told them about the rock formations ahead on the road, rising high into the air like a cock's tail.

Emma tuned his voice out, leaning her head back, letting the sun warm her already freckled complexion. Serving as a nurse has done little to help her already freckled skin, most of the times there weren't even proper tents for them to work in, and they did their work where ever they could. Her hair was a soft shade of brown, looking almost bronze in the sunlight, setting her freckles into sharp relief against her pale skin. Her green eyes shone brightly though, despite everything that she had seen and experienced during and after the war.

Emma lifted her head and met her sister in law's gaze, Claire rolled her eyes at Emma as Frank droned on about this or that, and Emma smiled good naturedly. She had no real interest in history or the such, but she knew Frank had a wealth of knowledge and more often than not was one of his best pupils. She did enjoy discussing it with Frank as he was so passionate about it, it was admirable to see. She had learned a lot from him about their ancestors, which was part of the reason they were coming to the Scottish Highlands in the first place.

She knew why Frank had insisted she come along. Ever since her engagement to Steven had ended he'd been watching her like a hawk. Emma knew that he was concerned for her, but forcing her to come along on his second honeymoon felt a bit much. Frank and Claire worried that after everything she had been through, if they left her alone she might do something she'd regret, or she could even hurt herself.

The next few days passed rather slowly, she kept to herself, allowing Frank and Claire time to reconnect. She declined whenever they went out on their jaunts, she didn't want to be a bother to them. Frank kept her updated on the discoveries he was making as far as they ancestor was concerned. Claire had described in detail the wonder of seeing the druids perform some sort of ritual one morning as the sun came up. She had also described a plant that she couldn't quite identify, but wanted to go back and get.

Emma quickly offered to join her, eager to get out of the bed and breakfast and to see the stones that Claire had so vividly described. They both panted a bit as they reached the top of the hill, Emma pausing for a moment to catch her breath and take in the view. She moved around the stones for a moment before going to the center, studying the stone in front of her.

Claire moved off to the side to collect the flower she had spoken of, Emma remaining at the center stone. It was so strange, she could almost feel an energy radiating off the stone, something drawing her closer to it, almost begging her to reach out and touch the stone. The wind suddenly shifted and Emma saw Claire stand from the corner of her eye. Emma felt her hands raising as strange sounds seemed to emit from the stone, a battle of some sort, gun shots, shouting, the sound of horses running.

Claire was drawing closer to her shifting toward the other side of the stone. Emma's hands slid out and touched the stone, both palms pressing flat against the rock when suddenly, everything went dark. She felt like she was falling at an incredibly fast speed, her ears ringing loudly, much like the time she'd been standing outside when an encampment was shelled. The force of the blast had blown her sideways a few feet, and as she came back to herself, sitting up slowly, her ears rang with high pitched bells and her vision blurred.

Emma opened her eyes and she was on her back staring up at the sky. She slowly sat up and glanced around. "Claire," she called out. "Claire?"

Emma pushed to her feet, wondering if perhaps she had fainted and Claire had gone to find help. Being a nurse Claire wouldn't have just left her there though, especially not in that state. She would have loaded her into the car and driven her back to the village. She made her way down the hill, stopping once in a while because of the dizziness. She arrived at where the car should have been, but it was gone, as was the road. Emma spun around in a circle, looking frantically in every direction for some answer as to what was happening.

Shaking her head in the hopes of clearing it, she thought that perhaps she had chosen the wrong path or something. She began to make her way toward the woods, thinking it would be easy to find the road and then her way back to the village. She carefully trudged through the woods, wishing that she'd worn a dress with longer sleeves as the branches scrapped at her arms. She stumbled slightly grabbing a branch for support when a gun shot rang through the area. Emma yelped as she let go of the branch and fell, rather ungracefully, to the ground.

Quickly sitting up, she watched as several men in some sort of period garb ran past. Several more men ran by, dressed in traditional Scottish garb as well. Emma leapt to her feet and took off, not wanting to get involved in whatever was going on here. Her foot caught on a root though and she fell forward, rolling down a hill before landing at the bottom. She sat up slowly, groaning in pain as a man caught sight of the top of her head. He got off a single shot, narrowly missing her before Emma tore through the woods, desperate to lose her pursuer.

She ran with single minded determination, her heart leaping in her chest every time they fired another shot. She managed to leap over a low log and scurry down a small embankment. She came around a tree and froze when she saw the man kneeling next to the stream.

"Oh Frank, thank god, what the bloody hell is going on," she said as she picked her way over to him. She looked up at him again when he hadn't responded. "You're not Frank."

"No madam, I am not," the man said as he rose and gathered his weapons. Emma noted that he was carrying a rather authentic looking sword.

"Who are you," Emma asked as she backed away from him. He may have Frank's face, but this man gave her the terrible feeling he was neither as kind nor as chivalrous. "I… I was being chased, I think your men mistook me for someone else."

He looked her up and down, and Emma knew that wherever she had ended up, her dress was not nearly up to standard. The sleeves were short and while the neckline was modest there was a little split in it that was a bit suggestive, it fell to the middle of her calves, it was a rather becoming shade of blue, at least it had been before it had gotten dirt all over it. She felt as though he were undressing her with his eyes, and considering the number of layers he was wearing, she felt practically naked with just her dress and undergarments to protect her.

"I am Johnathon Randall Esquire, Captain of his Majesty's eighth dragoons," he explained before giving her a slight nod. "At your service."

Emma swallowed hard as she stared at him before she lunged to the right in an effort to make her escape. She didn't get very far though, she flinched when she heard him draw his sword and fell into the rock wall just behind her as the sword narrowly missed her face as it landed in front of her.

"Who are you," Randall demanded.

"My… my family is expecting me," she gasped out. "They'll come looking for me."

"Your family, what are their names?"

Emma couldn't think of a thing to say, she gasped when his arm snapped forward and grabbed hold of her hair. She whimpered as he gave her hair a hard yank, pulling her face toward him.

"What are their names," he repeated.

"Claire and Frank," she cried as she struggled against him. "You're hurting me."

He pressed his sword more firmly against her throat. "Claire and Frank what?"

Emma knew she couldn't give him their actual last name, the name he shared with them. "Beauchamp, Frank and Claire Beauchamp. He's a teacher and she's a nurse."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Beauchamp, daughter of Claire, the wet nurse, and Frank, the teacher. You must think me a fool Miss Beauchamp, you'd be well advised to tell me who you are and why you are here," he said as he leaned closer to her, his foul breath fanning over her face.

Emma attempted to shove him away but he quickly slammed her back into the rocks. Emma let out a soft cry of pain as the rocks dug painfully into her back. "My patience is not infinite lass, tell me who you are," he ordered.

"Get off of me you bastard," Emma snapped, sounding much braver than she felt. She managed to free one hand and slugged him across the face managing to bloody his face with the ring she wore, a gift from her father, a beautiful rough cut emerald set in a gold band.

"Ah, the speech of a lady, the language of a whore. I choose the whore," he snapped as he spun her around and pinned her against the rocks.

Emma struggled against him, her cheek scraping against the rocks as she tried to push away. "Please, please don't," Emma pleaded as he pulled up the back of her dress. She gasped when a whirl of plaid seemed to drop out of the sky and land on Randall, knocking him unconscious. She stared at the man in shock as he extended his hand to her.

"Druitt," he shouted, motioning for her to come to him.

"What," Emma gasped out.

"Druitt," he cried as he reached out and grabbed a hold of her hand, pulling her after him.

"Who are you," Emma asked as she struggled to keep up with him. "Where are we going?"

He pulled her behind a tree as more men came across the top of the ridge. She started to cry out, but there was a sharp pain and then nothing, again.

* * *

I've already written through the end of episode 2, I'll try to update as frequently as possible, I hate waiting for updates and certainly don't want to keep you guys waiting either.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the support you guys have been awesome! I do not own Outlander, I don't think I would share if Jamie Fraser belonged to me. You start to see more of Emma's personality in this chapter, she's not going to be as strong as Claire, she's also not going to be so... sassy at the get go. She's got some sass to her, but nearly as much as Claire. Emma has been through some things, which you will learn more about as time goes by, its going to really impact the chapters closer to episodes 6 and 7. Also Emma won't be a Beauchamp forever, I figured out how to reveal that she's really a Randall and a "distant" relative to Black Jack, what a truly awful man. Enough wasting your time, here is new chapter. **

* * *

Chapter 2

Emma came to as they rode up to a small cottage. She offered the man a weak smile as he offered her a hand down off the horse. She flinched when he grabbed hold of her and roughly pushed her toward the cottage, stumbling over the threshold and into a room crowded with Scots. She shrank back slightly, bumping into her captor who pushed her further into the room. They all spoke in Gaelic, that much she knew, but she had no way of understanding a word of it. One of the men stood up and came over to her, grabbing her arm and hauling her closer to the fire.

"Let's have a look at you then lass," he said as he studied her for a moment. Emma stared back at him rather owlishly, eyes wide with fear. "What's your name?"

Emma started in surprise, the almost gentle tone of his voice shocked her. She knew that it would be unwise to change her name now, not knowing how much her captor had heard of the conversation she'd had with Johnathan Randall. "Emma, Emma Beauchamp, sir," she said softly.

"Emma Beauchamp," he repeated.

"Yes," she replied her voice quivering with nerves.

"You said you found her?"

"Aye, she was having words with a certain captain of dragoons, with whom we are acquainted. There seemed to be some question as to whether the lady was or was not a whore," her captor explained.

"And what was the lady's position in this discussion," the man asked as he returned his attention to her.

"I am not," Emma snapped, her face blushing bright pink.

"We could put her to the test," another man suggested. Emma blanched and took a small step back in fear.

"I am not a whore," Emma said quickly, her blush deepening as the men chuckled.

"I don't hold with rape," the man questioning her snapped. "And we've not the time for it anyway."

"Dougal, I don't know what she might be or who, but I'll stake my best shot she's not a whore, look at that blush, no whore blushes like that."

"We'll puzzle it out later," Dougal said as he studied her. He moved back over to the stool where he had been sitting. "We've got a good distance to go tonight and we must do something about Jamie first."

Emma turned to see who they were talking about, her eyes locking with those of the young man seated in front of Dougal. He must be Jamie, his hair glimmered in the firelight, his eyes guarded but studying her, drawing conclusions, making assumptions. She quickly glanced down at her feet, her fingers nervously tangling in front of her. Emma watched silently as the men discussed what to do about Jamie, deciding to force his shoulder back into place.

Emma started moving before she could stop herself. "Don't, not that way," she cried as she rushed forward. She froze when the men drew knives, pointing them directly at her. She held up her hands to show she meant no harm. "You'll break his arm that way, it will never heal properly. You've got to get the bone in the upper arm in the correct position before it slips back into the joint. Please, I can help him."

Dougal studied her for a short moment before stepping aside to give her room. Emma offered Jamie a shy smile as she moved in front of him. She bit her lip when he drew in a sharp breath as she began adjusting his arm. "I'm sorry, this will hurt. Will you hold him steady please," she asked the men standing just behind him.

Emma held his gaze, waiting for him to let her know when he was ready. He was quick to give her a nod and she began to shift his arm. "This will be the worst part," she warned and his eyes widened at the pain. He let out a small cry of pain, then his face went slack with relief as his shoulder slid back into place.

He said something in Gaelic as he stared at her in wonder. "It does not hurt anymore," he exclaimed.

"It will, it will be tender for about a week, you'll need a sling," Emma explained. She glanced around the cottage as she continued to hold his arm to his chest. "You, can I have your belt? Please?"

"Please she says," he replied as he glanced at the other men. "Please?"

"Give her your belt," Dougal ordered.

"Takin a guess you've done this before," Jamie said as the man began to remove his belt.

"I'm a nurse," she said softly. She noticed the way his gaze shifted to her breasts and she blushed deeply. "Those aren't going to do a baby any good I can assure you."

"Apologies, I meant no offense," he replied.

Emma simply offered him a weak smile as she took the belt and fashioned it into a sling. "You mustn't move the joint for two or three days. When you begin to use it again, you should do it very slowly at first, you have to stop if it starts to hurt, it will only slow the healing. Warm compresses will help if used daily. How does that feel," Emma asked as she stepped back from him.

"Better, thank you," Jamie replied with a grateful smile.

"Can you ride," Dougal asked.

"Aye," Jamie said with a firm nod.

"Good," Dougal said as he tossed Jamie a coat. "We're leaving."

Emma helped Jamie slip his coat on before leaving the cottage. She paused when she got outside though, staring into the dark night.

"Where is it? Where is the city? It should be visible from here," she asked as she turned to look at Jamie.

"Inverness," Jamie asked. "You're looking straight at it."

Emma stared after him in shock. She felt as though she might faint, there were no electric lights, nothing. She knew that she was no longer in the 20th century and whatever hope she had of Frank and Claire finding her vanished. She suddenly felt terribly alone and frightened. She let out a yelp when someone grabbed her roughly by the arm and yanked her forward.

"Get up on that horse, stay close with the rest of us, and if you give us any trouble I will not hesitate to slit your throat for you," Dougal threatened as he pulled her over to Jamie's horse. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir," she said weakly before she gave him her foot to hoist her up into the saddle in front of Jamie.

Emma glanced around nervously, shifting back just slightly to draw some warmth from Jamie. She was promptly pushed forward though by Jamie shifting around behind her.

"What are you doing," she asked as she glanced back at him over her shoulder.

"You're shivering, if you're wrapped in my plaid it will keep us both warm."

"I'm fine, really," she said as she faced front in the saddle.

"You're shaking so hard you're makin' my teeth rattle, let me repay your kindness lass," Jamie replied, his breath fanning across her neck, making her shiver from something other than the cold.

"All right," she murmured.

"Will you help me? It's a bit hard one handed," he explained.

"Oh, of course."

Emma reached back and pulled the section he was tugging on loose, wrapping it over her shoulder. She grabbed the other side, holding both in front of her. Jamie wrapped his arm around her, pulling her back just slightly so she was closer to him. She was grateful for the warmth even if the closeness was a bit unsettling for her.

"I don't want you to freeze before sun up," he whispered.

"Sun up? You mean we'll be riding all night," she asked in dread.

"All night, and all of the next one too I reckon. Fine time of a year for a ride though," he replied.

"Oh yes, the rain is just delightful," Emma muttered earning a chuckle from him.

"You've got a bit of sass in ya," he teased as he pushed the horse into motion after the others. "How old are ya lass? You look awfully young to be out on your own."

"Twenty," Emma replied.

"And no husband?"

"No, my… I was engaged but… we didn't… he left," Emma trailed off, not wanting to explain why she was unmarried to a group of perfect strangers.

"Tis all right lass, I'm four and twenty and unwed, I was just teasin' ya," he said gently. He studied her face for a moment, his hand coming up without warning to brush her cheek. She flinched away from his hand though, her back thumping soundly against his chest. Jamie grunted as she jostled his sore shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, you startled me," Emma said quickly.

"You've a bit of blood on your face, I was going to wipe it off for ya," Jamie explained. "How'd you come by that?"

Jamie took a small section of his plaid in his hand and gently scrubbed it over her cheek, removing the blood. She winced a bit as he worked, his was pressing rather firmly on the slowly bruising skin.

"That man, Randall, when he… he um… he was going to…," Emma trailed off and looked down for a long moment. "I scrapped it on the rocks he had pushed me into."

"Aye, but she got him pretty good before that," the man who had saved her announced. "Hit him right in the jaw, cut him up with her ring, he'll have some bruises too lass, don't you worry."

"Sass and some fighter in ya now? Is there anything else we should know lass," Jamie asked in a teasing tone.

Emma hummed in acknowledgement, but said nothing in reply. She had never been good at small talk, she wasn't much for flirting or charming others either. Frank said she was just shy, but Emma knew it was more than that. She was so easily frightened, it was a miracle she'd made it through the war at all. She thought she'd found her courage through serving, but what had happened after the war and now this situation had put her well beyond the depths of her courage.

**Please review, I love hearing what you guys think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**1) I don't own Outlander, as I said before I don't think I'd share if I did. 2) Thank you to those of you who have reviewed and made suggestions, they've been very helpful and you have all been very supportive 3) Don't expect me to update this frequently all the time, I'm only updating now because I just watched Episode 11, thank god I read the books because I would have had a panic attack otherwise. I can't wait to write that scene in this story! 4) That being said, keep in mind that I have seen the show and read the first book(starting the 2nd) so the two are going to co-mingle, I am following the storyline from those, some things are going to be accelerated, the romance for instance, other things won't be as much of a to do. The difference is of course going to be the presence of Emma and how reacts/people react to her. All that being said, I'll leave you to it.**

* * *

Chapter 3

They rode in silence for a long while. Emma could feel her eyes growing heavy with exhaustion, her chin dropping down toward her chest. She snapped it up one time, gasping when she thumped her head on Jamie's chin.

"Oh, are you all right," she asked as she twisted to look at him.

"I'm fine lass, just a bump," he assured her as he gazed down at her. His arm tightened around her as he pulled her more firmly into his chest. His hand came up to turn her head so it was resting against his uninjured shoulder, tucked slightly under his chin. "Rest Sassenach, I'll not let you come to harm, I promise."

"I'm fine, really," Emma said but a yawn betrayed her. Jamie chuckled, his chest rumbling with laughter. "Or not. What does that mean?"

"What? Sassenach?"

"Yes, what's it mean," Emma whispered sleepily.

"Outlander, English."

"I don't speak a lick of Gaelic," she said through a yawn.

"Sleep lass."

"Sleep," Emma repeated as she shut her eyes, sleep quickly overtaking her. Jamie glanced down at her, her breath fanned over the open neck of his shirt, tickling his chest. He couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face as he watched her for a moment, there was no denying it, she was a pretty one. Her hair a shade of soft brown, almost red in the early morning sunlight, a fine shade for a young woman, it made the freckles on her face stand out even more, he'd briefly caught a glimpse of her eyes in the cottage, and the emerald green sparkled like fresh spring grass after rain.

Jamie let her sleep for a long while, but once they left the forest Dougal urged his horse to a gallop and Jamie knew he had to follow suite. The jostling shook Emma awake, her small hand grabbed hold of Jamie's forearm as she awoke. She leaned away from him for a moment, trying to get her bearings back. She thought for a moment that she had fallen asleep on a bumpy car ride, but she knew as her back thumped against a solid chest that she had not.

Emma reluctantly released Jamie's arm and sagged against him. She yawned softly as she took in the countryside. "Where are we going," she asked.

"Castle Leoch," Jamie replied easily.

Emma simply nodded as they entered yet another forest, following a stream. She glanced up, noticing the rock formation stretching high into the sky. "I know those rocks," she whispered as she stared up at them.

"Been through here before have ya?"

"Yes, I recognize the rock formation, the one that… that looks like a cock's tail, a chicken's tail, it has a name," Emma said carefully.

Jamie said something in rough Gaelic first before explaining further. "Cock nammond rock."

"I heard the English use it for ambushes, they could be lying in wait right now," she explained, fear leaking into her voice as she turned her head toward Jamie.

"It's a bonny place for an ambush right enough lass," Jamie said tersely as he glanced around. He urged their horse forward, calling softly out to Dougal for his attention. Dougal drew to a stop as Jamie began to explain something in Gaelic, Emma wondered briefly if she could convince Jamie to teach her. It would probably come in handy she mused, she noticed Dougal staring at her suspiciously a moment too late though. As she met his angry gaze, Jamie gave her the slightest squeeze of comfort.

"Now, you'll be tellin me exactly how and why you know there's an ambush up ahead," Dougal said lowly, a threatening look in his eyes.

Emma's fingers curled around Jamie's forearm involuntarily as she met Dougal's gaze. "I don't know for sure, but as I told Jamie I heard that the red coats…," she started to explain but Dougal cut her off.

"Where did ya hear?"

"In the village," Emma said quickly, forcing herself to appear confused as to why he didn't know this fact. She never thought she would make a good actress, but she hoped she looked convincing enough for Dougal. "If I had prior knowledge of an ambush, why would I be warning you about it? Why not just let you all get attacked? I'm only telling you what I heard in the village, I'm trying to help you."

Dougal studied her for a moment before glancing around. Jamie followed suit his eyes scanning the surrounding woods. Dougal raised his arm and motioned his hand in a circle. Jamie said something in Gaelic before pushing her off the horse. Emma cried out as she fell, rolling slightly when she hit the ground.

"Hide yourself," Jamie ordered before he took off with the others.

Emma watched as the men rode away, they got just over the stream when the gunfire started. She didn't even think, she simply pushed to her feet and took off running in the opposite direction. She tripped suddenly, her foot catching yet again on some root and she fell hard to the ground. She groaned as she rolled over, she knew she'd cut her arm on something, she could feel the blood running down it already. She briefly thought to herself that perhaps she ought to give up running away from things, it seemed to be doing more harm than good. She sat up, listening hard, realizing that she could no longer hear the gunfire.

Emma pursed her lips as she glanced around, slowly pushing herself to her feet. In her fear, she hadn't thought about getting back to Jamie and the rest of the group, she'd only thought about getting away from the fight. She knew it would look like she was trying to escape from them, which she wasn't, at least not intentionally. They were her best bet for survival at this point and without knowing what year it was, or where they were going, her best option was to stick with them. Emma noticed the stream and hurried toward it. She leaned down and carefully dipped her arm into the water, hissing as it ran over the cut. She stood up and tried to remember if they had been traveling with the stream or against it.

Settling on with the stream, she turned, freezing as someone rode into the clearing. She breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized Jamie. Seeing the blood on his chest gave her cause for fear though, the sword in his hand didn't help much either. She knew there had been a fight, but somehow her mind had failed to include Jamie in it. She'd assumed he wouldn't fight because he was injured, which was foolish because why else would he have thrown her off the horse and gone with the men.

"Lost your way," he called as he leapt down off the horse. He said something to the horse as he made his way toward her.

Emma backed up a few steps, gasping when she bumped into a tree. He seemed angry with her, and she wasn't sure why, she would lying to say that it didn't frighten her a bit, the blood on his face certainly didn't help matters. "You took off your sling," she pointed out, desperately scrabbling for something to say to him.

"Couldna fight one handed lass," he replied.

"You're hurt."

"There's not just my blood, not much of it anyway," he replied as he kept staring at her. He looked so suspicious of her in that moment, that Emma felt her heart clench. She'd never been mistrusted before, she'd always been the reliable one, the one you could trust, to not be trusted was disconcerting for her.

Emma drew her lower lip between her teeth as she stared at him. She didn't miss how his gaze flickered to her lips. She shifted away from the tree and made to move to the stream. Her first instinct was to help him, the nurse in her knew that it was what needed to be done. She needed to check his injuries and wash the blood off his face, it was practical. Jamie seemed to have other thoughts as he lunged forward, cutting her off.

"Dougal and the others will be waiting, further up the stream," he informed her harshly. "We should go."

"You've got blood all over your face." She'd always been this way, when faced with a crisis or a dilemma, you did the practical thing, you remained calm, you helped as best you could. It baffled her that he didn't seem to understand what she was trying to do.

"And," Jamie asked, his annoyance with her becoming clear.

"I… I'm not going anywhere until you wash it off, or at least let me do it," Emma said firmly, feeling a bit proud of herself for making a stand, even one as small as this. Seeing the blood on his face brought back memories of the war, none of them fond, but all calling her to action.

"You're serious lass," Jamie said as he stared at her.

Emma stared defiantly back before taking a step away from him. He reached out and grabbed her arm, his sword drawing dangerously close to her. Emma flinched back from him, struggling against the tight grip he had on her arm.

"Let me go," she cried. She jerked her arm, crying out in surprise at the firmness of his grip.

"Stop with your wriggling," Jamie shot back as he began to pull her toward the horse.

"Or what? You'll slit my throat? Dougal already threatened to do that, I wasn't running away! You told me to hide and I got lost! I have no idea where I am, where in the bloody hell would I go without you? This is as much your fault as it is mine, throwing me off the horse in a strange forest, what did you think I would do? Sit in those bushes while you all shot at each other and wait for you to come back? Of course I ran away from the danger, what else did you expect of me," Emma snapped as she dug her heels in. Jamie rounded on her so fast that she ran into his chest. Emma stared up at him, gasping softly after her little tirade. If he was shocked by her words he didn't show it, but Emma was rather surprised. She didn't normally lash out like that, especially not at a stranger.

"I am not going to slit your throat, but if you aren't going to walk, I will pick you up and throw you over my shoulder," Jamie said lowly. "Do you want me to do that?"

Part of Emma was tempted to say yes, just to see if he would actually do it. She didn't want to push her luck though, he seemed like exactly the sort of man to do it just to show he would. "No," she said nervously as a smirk settled on his lips.

"Well then, I suppose that means you are comin with me," he said with a cheeky grin. Emma jerked her arm out of his grasp, she realized that the sleeve of her dress was torn at the shoulder. She gave the loose sleeve a firm yank, smiling as it slid down her arm. She turned quickly and wiped the sleeve over his face before he could stop her. Jamie let out a growl of frustration as she set about wiping the blood off his face.

"Don't see why it matters lass, I'll just dirty it up again during the next fight," he muttered. He sighed and let her do it though, he had a feeling it would make her feel better, though he didn't know why. Without thinking, he rested his free hand on her waist, holding her steady as she raised up on her toes just slightly to better reach his face.

"If I have to ride you with you for god knows how long, the least you can do is wipe the blood off your face, you wiped the blood off mine," Emma reminded him with a shy smile. "You looked rather fearsome with it, I thought you might…."

"I might what?"

Emma shook her head and turned to the horse. She tossed the sleeve aside as she studied the horse. She fumbled for a moment, trying to get her foot into the stirrup so she could hoist herself up. Jamie came over to help her, before flinging himself up behind her.

"Didna tell you I would let no harm come to ya," he asked, his lips brushing against her the shell of her ear.

Emma felt her face flush a deep shade of red as she nodded slowly. "You did."

"Your blush, it becomes you," he said as he urged the horse into motion. Emma knew that she was only blushing deeper because of his comment, but chose not to reply. They rode a short distance, Jamie grunting in pain every so often as the horse jostled him.

"Serves you right, I told you not to move your shoulder."

"Well it wasn't much of a choice, if I didna move my shoulder, I'd have never moved anything else ever again. I can handle a single red coat with one hand, maybe even two, but not three. Sides you can fix it for me again when we get where we are going," he explained.

"Here's to you lass, for tipping us to the villains in the rocks and giving us a wee bit of fun," one of the men said as he raised a flask. He took a large sip before passing it to Jamie. Emma's stomach let out a low grumble of hunger and Jamie couldn't help but smile as she glanced down in embarrassment.

Jamie offered the flask to her, but she shook her head. She'd never been much of a drinker, couldn't stand whiskey which is what she assumed was in the flask. "Have a wee nip, it won't fill your belly, but it will make you forget you're hungry," Jamie said into her ear.

"I… I don't…," Emma turned her head toward his, feeling Dougal's eyes scrutinizing her. She was eager to escape his gaze, even if it meant simply turning her head. "I don't drink anymore."

"Ah, well a wee nip won't hurt you," Jamie teased, causing her to blush yet again. "Come on now, just a bit, it will help I promise, ya stomach is grumbling so loud I think ya might have a wee bear in there."

Emma pursed her lips before taking a sip of the whiskey, she drew her shoulders up to her ears as the liquid fire raced down her throat. She couldn't help but cough as she passed the flask back to Jamie. Jamie chuckled loudly and the other men joined him.

"Aye, she's not a Scottish lass, that's fer sure," one man said.

"Aye," Dougal said as he gave her a dark look. Emma drew back against the look, her back pressing tightly against Jamie's chest. She could feel how tense Jamie had grown when he saw the look Dougal was giving her. He gave her arm a quick squeeze before urging the horse forward. Whatever reason Dougal had to mistrust the girl, it seemed to run very deep.

**Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions? Share them with me please and thank you in advance to those of you that do!**


	4. Chapter 4

**1) Thanks to everyone that has reviewed, followed, and favorited, you guys are all awesome! 2) I don't own Outlander, god how I wish Jamie Fraser belonged to me. 3) This is the shortest chapter in the story, they will increase in length starting next chapter. 4) The bottom will offer you a little preview of the next couple of chapters, a timeline if you will. 5)And finally a reminder that I am tying together the book and the show, but am totally open to suggestions if there is something you want to see happen or think should be left out(Unless it is crucial to plot in which case it must stay) **

**I'm just going to say this and move on, I hate this scene, but I couldn't leave it out, and I couldn't combine it with the next chapter without it being a ridiculous length and losing its flow. I thought Claire was over the top in this scene, in the book and the show, and I didn't want the same for Emma, but there were some funny moments that I wanted to keep and add, so here we are. I'm sorry if its awful, we'll get to the good stuff soon. **

* * *

Chapter 4

They'd been riding for several hours, the men making toasts in her honor and Jamie coaxing her to drink every once in a while. The sun had gone down what Emma was sure was hours ago. The moon was almost directly overhead as they rode in silence. Jamie drew her closer to him, his head dropping down to rest on her shoulder. Emma assumed he was sleeping, but when he began to fall sideways, she realized it was something else entirely.

"Stop, stop, he's going over," Emma cried as Jamie began to slide off the saddle, she realized a moment too late that he was taking her with him. She landed on his side, earning a low grunt from him but nothing more. "Help me get him up please."

A couple of the men helped her shift him up the small incline and she made short work of his shirt, quickly finding the wound. "Gunshot wound, he could have said something, it's a clean exit, bullet went straight through the muscle. He's lost a lot of blood. I need to disinfect it before I can dress it though."

"Disinfect," one of the men asked.

"Oh um, it needs to be cleaned of dirt to protect it from germs," she explained.

"Germs?"

"Um, fever, he'll catch a fever. Oh the whiskey! The whiskey will work," Emma said as she held out a hand for a flask. The men grumbled in acknowledgement of a word they understood and someone passed her a flask. She carefully poured the whiskey over the wound, jerking back when Jamie gasped as he sat up slightly. He grumbled something in Gaelic and Emma shook her head at him.

"You could have said you'd been shot," she snapped. "You're lucky you're not dead, brawling and fighting and throwing yourself off horses, you pulled me down with you thank you very much."

Jamie stared at her in surprise of the tongue lashing he'd just received. She shook her head at him again and looked away from him.

"All right, I need some bandages and a clean cloth," she ordered, suddenly all business again. When none of the men volunteered anything, she let out a sharp breath of annoyance. "Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ."

It was a term she had picked up from Claire, she thought it was rather brilliant, but she knew none of these men would have any clue what she was talking about. She ripped the bottom of her dress free, soaking it with whiskey and pressing it to Jamie's shoulder.

"Hold still," she said firmly pressing harder against his shoulder as he shifted away from her. She packed the damp strip against his shoulder as best she could before motioning for him to sit up. She tore another strip off her dress, struggling to get it straightened out.

"Come on, bloody bastard of a bandage, why don't you travel with bandages? Is it really that difficult of a concept," she cried as she tried to get the bandage around his shoulder.

"I've never heard a woman use such language in my life," Dougal said.

"Your husband should tan your hide for ya woman."

"St. Paul says let a woman be silent…"

Emma cut them off, growing tired of their criticism. "You can mind your own bloody business, and so can St. Paul, besides I don't have a husband."

"Ya need one to tame that mouth of yours," someone commented, and the men all laughed at the double meaning behind the words.

"If you move a muscle, I'll bloody throttle you, don't think I won't, I might be small, but I can promise you I pack a punch," Emma warned Jamie.

"Ah, threats is it? And after I've shared my drink with ya, maybe that's what has made you so testy lass," Jamie replied with a smirk.

"We've 15 miles to go yet, 5 hours at least if not 7, we'll stay long enough for you to stem the bleeding and dress his wound, but no more than that," Dougal said before marching away from her.

"He needs rest," Emma said as she went after him. "Did you hear me?"

"Lass, don't," Jamie warned. Emma turned to face, finding him already looking at her. "Randall, the officer you… encountered. He won't give up so easily, he commands the red coats here abouts, he'll have sent patrols out in every direction by now. We cannot stay here long."

"You know Randall," Emma asked. If she had her way, she'd never see the man again. The resemblance he bore to Frank, or was it Frank to him, was too disturbing for her.

"Aye, I know him. If you cannot fix me up well enough to ride, you can leave me here with a loaded pistol so I may determine me own fate," Jamie replied grimly.

"You could have told me you were shot before you pulled us both off the horse," Emma said softly.

"Didna hurt much at the time, you were too worried about cleaning my face off to notice."

"Does it hurt now," Emma asked.

"Aye," Jamie said with a firm nod.

"Good," Emma said as she finished tying his bandages in place. "That's all I can do for now, the rest is up to you."

Emma rose to her feet, she paused for a moment to dust off her dress. Jamie caught hold of her wrist with his uninjured arm and turned it toward the light. Emma jumped slightly, it was almost as though a shock, a small thrill had run up her arm when he'd touched her.

"You're hurt too," he said as he nodded at the blood trickling down her arm.

"The fall must have opened it back up," Emma said as she studied it for a moment. She shrugged it off, it was a small cut, little chance of infection. She offered him a hand which he took after just a moment of hesitation. She pulled him to his feet, his hand not letting go of hers right away.

"Thank you Sassenach, truly," he said with a warm smile.

"Of course," Emma replied before nodding at the horse. "We should… um…"

"Come on lass, before they leave us to the wolves," Jamie said as he guided her over to the horse.

"There are wolves in this area," she whispered as she struggled up onto the horse. Jamie still managed to swing himself up with surprising grace despite his injuries.

"Aye, all manner of foul beast is about," Jamie said lowly before urging the horse forward. "Do not worry, I will protect ya."

Dougal had not been lying when he said that they had another seven hours ahead of them. The sun was well into the sky by the time they got to their destination. She stared up at the castle in wonder, taking in all of the details. She had never seen anything like it, she knew that the castle was ruins in her time, abandoned. Emma wondered as they drew closer to the gates and into the courtyard if she would ever find a way home, back to Claire and Frank, or if she was going to be trapped her for eternity.

* * *

**The timeline I promised:**

**Chapter Five: Arriving at Leoch, treating Jamie, and a little moment that I understand why they cut from the show, but I thought was great in the book and decided to include. **

**Chapter Six: Meeting with Colum and explaining how she came to be in the woods, the dinner interrogation between Emma and Colum, and an adorable moment between Jamie and Emma if I do say so myself, I'm trying to set the romance up a bit faster in this version. **

**Chapter Seven: Emma takes Jamie lunch, Emma tells someone what her real last name is, and Emma meets Geillis for the first time.**

**Chapter Eight: The hall, Emma and Jamie after the hall, and Colum reveals that she will be staying at Leoch afterall. **

**I felt like because the chapter was shorter you could use a little timeline for your trouble. Again, thanks for reading and if you have questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions please review or PM me! I will possibly post another chapter before the end of the weekend, Monday night at the latest. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Sorry it took a little longer to update, I did some last minute updating to this chapter, which made it longer, but also adds more to the development of the relationship between Jamie and Emma. I want to thank those of you who have reviewed, followed, and favorited, the support has been awesome. This is the longest chapter so far so please enjoy. **

Chapter 5

"Welcome to Castle Leoch," Jamie whispered into her ear as he reigned the horse to a stop.

Jamie slid off the horse first, he stepped close taking hold of both her hands and placing them on his shoulders. Emma carefully pulled her other leg over so that she was sitting facing him. Jamie slipped his good arm around her waist and eased her down off the horse. Emma couldn't help but blush as Jamie held her against him, she noticed not for the first time that she could feel each muscle of his chest through his shirt. He offered her a smile before moving away to tend to his horse.

Emma stood awkwardly in the courtyard, unsure of what to do with herself now that they had arrived. Her dress was soaked through because of the rain, her hair was a terrible mess as well from the weather and all of the falling. Emma snuck a glance at Jamie for a moment. She glanced up and caught the gaze of a man through an open window. He was a rather distinguished looking older fellow, she could see the resemblance between him and Dougal.

Emma wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly. Jamie had been right, both of them wrapped in his plaid had been much warmer. It didn't help that her dress was soaked, clinging to her in a revealing manner. She rubbed her arms as she glanced around, taking in the activity throughout the courtyard.

Emma couldn't help but smile as a woman came rushing into the courtyard, happily greeting Rupert. "You'll all be needin breakfast I reckon, plenty in the kitchen, go in and feed yourselves," she ordered good-naturedly.

The woman's gaze settled on her after she greeted Murtagh. She drew a few steps closer, eyeing Emma suspiciously. "And what do we have here," she asked as she studied the young woman.

"Hello," Emma said quickly, offering a shy smile. It caught Jamie's attention and he looked up from his horse to see who she was speaking to. Emma offered an awkward little curtsey, not sure if it was proper protocol or not. Jamie chuckled at her as he moved closer to join them.

"Emma Beauchamp, Mistress Fitzgibbons," Jamie introduced. "Murtagh found her, Dougal said we must bring her along is all."

"Well," Mistress Fitzgibbons said as she studied her. "Emma?"

"Yes ma'am," she said quickly, offering another polite smile. Jamie gave her an encouraging nod as he stepped aside.

"Come with me, we'll find you something to eat, you're skinny as a wee wet doggy, and we'll find you something to wear that's a bit more… well a bit more."

"Thank you. What about Jamie though," Emma asked as Mistress Fitzgibbons began to pull her along. Emma pulled away from her and moved over to Jamie, her hand resting gently against his injured arm.

"I can fend for myself lass, do na worry about me," Jamie assured her giving her hand a squeeze.

"No, you're hurt, he was shot and passed out from the blood loss. I didn't get a chance to properly dress the wound on the way here, we didn't have the time. I need to do it now before fever sets in," Emma said quickly before Jamie could protest further.

"Oh aye," Mistress Fitzgibbons said as she studied her. "I can find what you need, are you a charmer then? A Beaton?"

Emma flounder in confusion for a moment, not quite knowing what she was being asked. She had no idea who the Beatons were, and she certainly wasn't a charmer. "I… I'm a nurse," she said weakly glancing at Jamie for assistance. "A healer, I suppose."

"Jamie, ya heard the lady, ya need tendin, this way," Mistress Fitzgibbons announced, seeming satisfied with the response. She kept a hand on Emma's back as she guided her out of the courtyard. Emma glanced back to make sure Jamie was following them. Sure enough, he was just a few steps behind.

Mistress Fitzgibbons guided them down several torch lit hallways before pushing a door open and waving them inside. Emma hurried over to the fire grateful for the warmth. "Get dry you two, I'll get the supplies you'll be needin Mistress Emma and somethin for ya both to eat as well," she said before shutting the door behind her.

Emma glanced at Jamie for a moment before she turned back to the fire. She could hear Jamie moving around behind her, and jumped when he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Emma smiled gratefully up at him as he took a seat on the stool just behind her, turning slightly toward the warmth. Emma sat down at his feet, glancing up at him again.

"Do you want me to take those bandages off? They can't be very comfortable," she asked softly.

"Might as well take the whole lot off, easier to work without the shirt in your way. Just hand me that blanket lass," Jamie said as he pointed toward the foot of the bed. Emma pushed herself to her feet, using his knee for balance for just a moment. She pretended that she couldn't feel his eyes tracking her every movement as she collected the blanket and passed it to him.

Emma set about undoing the knots that she'd tied and removing the bandages. She carefully placed them aside, not wanting to make a mess. She moved around in front of him, leaning in to get a look at the wound before withdrawing quickly.

"You… you can take your shirt off now," she suggested, a blush creeping up her face as she quickly turned away from him. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, slipping his shirt off and setting it aside before wrapping the blanket around his shoulders.

Emma shifted nervously from foot to foot before picking up his shirt and carefully folding it then sitting it on the table. She turned to find Jamie studying her, before handing her his weapons as well. Emma let her fingers skim over the cover on the dirk that he carried as she stepped back from the table.

Emma opened her mouth to say something to break the silence, but shook her head quickly. She moved back over to the fire and sat in front of it, holding her hands out to warm them. She could feel Jamie's eyes on her, scrutinizing her. Emma shifted slightly closer to the fire, jumping when Jamie reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm.

"Are you sure you're all right? It looks rather deep Mistress," Jamie said as he studied the cut on her arm.

"I'm fine really, it happened when I fell in the woods, and you don't have to call me that, Emma is fine."

"Emma it is then."

"Thank you," Emma replied. "Can I call you Jamie or would you prefer… I don't know your last name actually."

"MacTavish. Jamie is fine though. Which fall did that to your dress," Jamie asked with a grin. "Looks like you've done a good bit of falling."

Emma glanced down at her dress and nodded in agreement. She had ruined her dress, one of her favorites and she had a feeling that Mistress Fitzgibbons was going to throw it out first chance she got. "I know, I'm not usually quite so clumsy, I've ruined my dress."

"It's a strange color for a shift," Jamie pointed out.

"Yes, I suppose it is, my… my sister in law, she got it for me in… France," Emma said as she looked down at the dress once more. The door burst open as Mistress Fitzgibbons hurried back in.

"Here we are, I've brought garlic and witch hazel to boil the rags, and cherry bark for the pain."

"It's perfect, thank you," Emma said sincerely. She scrambled to her feet taking the things from Mistress Fitzgibbons to help get them set up.

"Call out if you need anything else," Mistress Fitzgibbons said as she made her way to the door. Emma didn't miss the way her gaze lingered on Jamie for a moment, concern clear in her features.

"I will, thank you Mrs. Fitzgibbons," Emma said with a warm smile. "I'll take good care of him, I promise."

"Everybody calls me Mrs. Fitz, you may also," she replied.

"Thank you Mrs. Fitz," Emma said with a quick nod before the woman left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Emma knelt before the fire and carefully pulled a rag out of the concoction of garlic and witch hazel before rising to her feet. She offered Jamie a shy smile as she moved around behind him. She began to carefully clean the wound, before she eased the blanket out of the way. She felt Jamie tense as she shifted the blanket, realizing why as she lowered it to his waist. His back was a maze of scars, the once smooth skin now slightly lumpy and puckered from whatever had happened to him. Even in her short time as a nurse, she'd only been old enough to serve the last two years of the war, she had never seen scars like these.

Emma couldn't help the gasp that fell from her lips as she stared at his back. He shifted away from her ever so slightly and Emma knew that it made him uncomfortable for her to see them so openly. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize," she said as she pulled the blanket up slightly wanting to preserve some of his dignity, covering some of the scars, but not all of them.

"It's all right lass, you didna know."

"Do you mind me asking what happened? I've… I've never seen scars like this before."

"The redcoats," Jamie said gruffly as Emma let her fingers gently wander over the scars. "Flogged me twice in the space of a week. I'd have got it twice in the same day I expect were they not afraid of killin me. There's no joy in flogging a dead man."

Emma drew her lower lip between her teeth as she stared at his back. "I should think no one would do such a thing out of joy, it would take a truly awful human being to do so."

"Aye, well if Randall was not precisely joyous he was at least very pleased with himself," Jamie explained. Emma couldn't help it, the image of Frank, sweet and gentle Frank flogging Jamie raced through her mind and she gasped softly, dropping the rag that she had been holding. Her throat tightened painfully at the thought of it, she knew that Frank had not done it, would never do such a thing, but Jack Randall bore an uncanny resemblance to her brother, one that could not be denied and was more unsettling to her than she had initially thought. She had briefly thought that she could drop the pretense with Jamie and tell him her actual last name, he seemed different from the others, but she could sense there was something personal between him and Randall. There was no way she could admit to sharing a last name with the man, much less a gene pool.

Emma quickly grabbed the rag off the floor and moved around Jamie to drop it back into the mixture. She knelt in front of the fire, keeping her head turned slightly away from him in the hopes that he wouldn't see how upset she was. Emma turned to ask Jamie a question but found him already looking at her. She studied him for a moment, wondering how anyone could draw joy from treating another human being that way.

"Why did they flog you" she asked, her voice almost a whisper. She shook her head before hanging it in shame. "I'm sorry you don't have to answer that."

"It's all right lass, you can ask. Hm, the first time was escaping Fort William, and the second time was theft," Jamie explained. "Or at least, that's what the charge sheet read."

"You didn't have a trial?"

"A trial? No Sassenach, no trial for the likes of me,"

"Why were you escaping," Emma asked as she returned to tending his shoulder.

"They were holding me prisoner," he whispered conspiratorially over his shoulder.

"Obviously," she said with a soft laugh. "Why though? On what charge?"

"Well that uh, I think it was obstruction."

"Obstruction isn't a serious crime though, not one that requires imprisonment anyway," Emma said as she set some bandages on his shoulder to cover the gunshot wound.

"Ah, well, I suppose it is whatever the English say it is," Jamie said as he glanced up at her over his shoulder. Emma dropped her gaze, looking ashamed. "Don't look so upset lass, you had nothing to do with it. It was near to four years ago now, they put a levy on all the land holders in the kingdom. Set out small parties of soldiers, collecting food, horses for transport, and such like. It was one day in October when Captain Randall came along to our place."

Emma shifted around in front of him, collecting more bandages. Jamie barely seemed to notice that she had moved, much less that she was in the room, he was so caught up in the memory of the day.

"My father was away, gone to a funeral, I was up in the fields when I heard shouting. I came running down to the house, and found my sister being set upon by two redcoats. I sent her running into the house, but Randall caught her and brought her back out with a gun to her head. I could not fight if he meant to kill me sister. So I surrendered. We do not look much alike, my sister and me, he didna seem to believe me. He tore her dress open, forced me to look at her. He wanted to send a message, this is what you get when you fight back against the English. They strung me up in the gates, and he flogged me with his saber while Jenny watched. He asked Jenny to go in house with him, and I told her not to, even if he slit my throat right before her eyes. He pulled a knife out of his boot and punched me clean across the face. So she went with him, she thought he'd kill me and perhaps she was right. After that I do not ken what happened, when I woke up I was trussed in the wagon with the chickens jolting down the road to Fort William."

"I'm so sorry, that must have been terrible for you, for both of you," Emma whispered. The entire time Jamie had been speaking, she'd been putting on his bandages. She knew if she just stood there and listened, she'd dissolve into tears, this man who bore such a resemblance to her brother sounded like a complete monster.

"Oh aye, chickens are very poor company," Jamie said seriously.

Emma couldn't help the small laugh that bubbled out of her. "I should imagine so, they were probably fairly cross at you for eating several of their friends."

Jamie chuckled with her, shifting slightly. He let out a grunt of pain as he strained his shoulder. Emma moved around in front of him, putting on hand on his arm to keep him from moving.

"Don't do that, I'll have to strap your arm to your chest, it needs to rest, all the fighting didn't do your shoulder any good. Hold still," she said as she settled between his knees. She carefully wrapped the bandage around him, making sure it cradled his arm and wasn't too tight.

"You landing on me probably didn't help matters either," Jamie teased.

"That's your own fault, you're the one that passed out from blood loss and fell off the horse. You pulled me with you sir."

"Maybe I did it on purpose."

Emma's gaze snapped up to meet his, she wasn't used to men flirting with her. The idea that this man was flirting with her, that he liked her, it unsettled her in an unfamiliar way. She offered him a shy smile and shook her head. "I don't think you had a lot of control over that actually, being unconscious and all," she pointed out.

"You're a kind woman, with a gentle touch. You're a credit to your family, learning a skill and such," Jamie said. Emma's gaze snapped up and met his again. She quickly turned away from him, not wanting him to see that his statement had affected her so. Her throat grew dangerously tight, she could feel tears building in her eyes. Her family, Frank and Claire, her only real family anymore. Whatever year this was, she knew they were not alive. The terrible sense of fear set in on her again, she was more than just a Sassenach here, she was from another time all together. She wondered what they were doing, whether they looking for her.

What had happened to Claire? It was strange that she had been pulled through the stones, but Claire had not. Would Frank think she had run away? He had worried that life had become too much for her after everything she had been through, would he think she had killed herself as they had feared she would weeks ago after Steven left her. Tears leaked down her face and Emma struggled to breathe around the lump in her throat. She gasped raggedly, trying to draw enough air into her lungs, she felt like her chest was constricting.

"Mistress," Jamie asked as he leaned around to look at her face. "Emma, what is wrong?"

"I'm fine," she choked out as she turned her face further away from him. "I'm sorry, I… I was thinking about my family."

"Lass, are… are they not alive?"

"I… I don't… no, no they aren't," she gasped out as he gently turned her face to look at him.

Emma began to cry in earnest, everything that had happened catching up to her all at once. Jamie shushed her as he shifted closer to her, pulling her on to his lap. She leaned into his good shoulder, clutching his arm as she sobbed. Emma wasn't sure how long they sat like that, but as she calmed herself, she shifted back slightly, Jamie's face mere inches from her own. She stared back at him, watching the emotions flicker across his face as he brushed her tangled hair out of her eyes.

Jamie used his thumb to brush lingering tears off her cheek. Emma couldn't help but lean into his touch, her eyes fluttering shut. Jamie's lips brushed against her cheek and she knew that she was blushing deeply. Warmth rushed through her body, causing Emma to shift slightly, gasping when she felt him hard beneath her.

Emma quickly rose to her feet and backed up a few steps shattering the moment. She didn't know this man, as much as she thought she could trust him, she didn't know that she could. He was attractive and sweet, and being kind to her and Emma was letting herself get caught up in that. She knew better than to trust a man she didn't know, it only led to trouble and heartbreak.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…," she said trailing off with an awkward wave of her hands, avoiding eye contact with him. She realized though that her gaze was directed at his lap and quickly looked up, better to focus on his face than other parts of him. He had the grace to look embarrassed, which Emma appreciated, he slowly drew in a deep breath before standing up and offering her a nod.

"You need not be scart of me, nor anyone else here, so long as I'm with ya," Jamie said reassuringly.

"When you're not with me," she asked, her voice quivering with fear. She wasn't entirely sure she could trust him when he was with her either, but something in her was telling her that she could.

"You must never forget that you are English in a place where that's not a pretty thing to be." Jamie stepped forward and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you, I will."

"You sleep a bit," Jamie said suddenly all business as he moved to gather his things. "You're worn out. Likely someone will want to speak to you before too long."

Emma sniffled softly, pushing her hair away from her face as she nodded. Jamie moved past her, headed for the door. Emma watched him leave, she knew she must look totally pathetic, watching this man leave while wishing he would stay and comfort her, protect her from the others, and shield her from whatever was to come. She pushed the thoughts aside though, she didn't want to grow overly attached or dependent on him, she had no idea of his intentions toward her. If past experience had taught her anything, it was that men could not be trusted.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: I don't own Outlander, it sucks. There weren't as many reviews on the last chapter as there were on previous ones? What didn't you guys like about it? What did you like it? I don't know what is working if you guys don't tell me! Anyway here you go, not as long as the last chapter, but Emma meet's Colum in this one. **

Chapter 6

Emma slept like the dead, she didn't think she'd slept that hard in a long time. She was often plagued by nightmares, to have an uninterrupted sleep that long was no small miracle. She groaned when the curtains surrounding her bed were thrown open and Mrs. Fitz demanded she get up. Emma pulled the blanket up over her head as the second set were opened as well. She slowly sat up, only moving further when Mrs. Fitz announced that she'd brought food with her. Emma shuffled over to the fireplace and picked up the small bowl, spooning as much of it as she could into her mouth.

Mrs. Fitz took the bowl away and proceeded to help her wash, fix her hair, and get dressed. Emma had tried to keep the important bits covered, feeling completely uncomfortable at this stranger seeing her naked. Mrs. Fitz had the grace to not mention more than her strange undergarments. Emma appreciated that she didn't comment on the scars on her side or her thigh.

Once she was dressed and standing before the mirror, Emma could scarcely recognize herself. It was at that moment that Murtagh appeared and led her to meet the Laird. Emma followed him silently, offering him a grateful smile as he left the room he had brought her to.

Emma knew she didn't have much time, she had to figure out what year this was. She was never going to survive if she didn't know at least that. She crossed to the desk, careful not to touch anything. She didn't want to snoop through a stranger's things, she knew that would be seen as horribly disrespectful. Her eyes landed on a letter and she drew in a sharp breath when she saw the year, 1743. She quickly ran through it in her mind, historically what was happening in the world, but more importantly England and Scotland.

Satisfied with her discovery, Emma sat in the chair in front of the desk, clasping her hands in her lap. The door swung open and Emma jumped at the noise. She quickly rose from her seat and offered what she was sure was a terrible curtsey. The man hobbled toward her and Emma could not help but notice the bowed shape of his legs.

Emma extended her hand in offer of a handshake, but he brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it and offering her a smile. "I welcome you Mistress, my name is Colum Van Campbell Mackenzie, Laird of this castle."

"It is an honor to meet you sir," Emma said with a warm smile. He motioned for her to sit as he went around to his own chair.

"It was my understanding," Colum started once he was seated. "That my brother and his men found you in some apparent distress."

"Apparent, yes that would be one way to describe it," Emma replied sarcastically before remembering herself as Jamie had told her. She decided that a bit of remorse for snapping and a large amount of gratitude would go a long way with the Highlanders. "Forgive me, I did not mean to snap, it was a rather emotional ordeal. Yes I was in distress, I was attacked and nearly raped by a solider of the King. If it had not been for Murtagh I don't know what would have happened, I owe him my life."

"Ah, and other than this near rape, you suffered no further molestation," Colum asked.

Emma could see that he was dubious of her story. She shook her head quickly. "No, your brother and his men treated me very kindly, I am in their debt. I will however, need to arrange transport back to Inverness. I do not wish to over stay my welcome sir."

"I'm sure something can be arranged, but I do wish to know how exactly a lady such as yourself came to be wandering about the woods, dressed in nothing but her shift," Colum explained.

Emma remembered how Frank had once told her about a course he'd taken in withstanding interrogation. The basic gist of it was to only change the most important details, while sticking to the truth as much as possible. She drew in a deep breath and met Colum's gaze. She had to make this as believable as possible for the time period she was currently in.

"My parents are deceased, I was living with my brother and his wife, Frank and Claire. Both of them fell ill though, and died within just a few days of one another. My brother had made arrangements for me to go live with some distant relatives in France before his death though. I was traveling with a man servant to Inverness, from there we would travel to the coast and then to France. As for my state of dress and wandering through the woods, my man servant and I were set upon by bandits earlier that morning, I was in the process of dressing when they attacked and I did not have time to finish. I feared for my life, and rightfully so as they killed my man servant, Steven. I left my property and my horse behind and ran."

Emma paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. She knew she had to keep to the truth as much as possible to make this believable for Colum. Again the thought occurred to her that she ought to tell him her real name, but she could see that he wasn't buying her story as much as she'd hoped and revealing her actual last name would only put her in danger.

"As I was walking through the woods, I saw several redcoats in pursuit of what I now know were your brother and his men. Mistaking me for one of the men, a solider fired at me and I was again forced to run for my life. That was when I encountered Captain Jack Randall, he… I was confused you see because of the trauma that I had experienced, I initially thought him to be someone else… my brother Frank actually. I… I was completely out of sorts you see, but I pray no man ever treats his sister the way he treated me. It was a rather short conversation, and could have been much worse had Murtagh not intervened."

"It's true that Captain Randall has a certain reputation, but he is an officer, a gentlemen, and you're saying that a man bearing the King's commission decided to rape a stray lady traveler he came upon in the woods for no good reason," Colum asked.

Emma felt her face harden as she stared at him. "Is there ever a good reason for rape Master Mackenzie," Emma asked sincerely.

"I beg your forgiveness madam, an unfortunate turn of phrase on my part," Colum replied. "I truly did not mean to offend."

"It is quite all right Master Mackenzie. I know you did not mean it in that way, I… I am rather sensitive to the subject of rape," Emma explained.

"Saturday next a tinker will be stopping here on his way to Inverness. He often has room for one or two passengers. I will arrange for him to take you to Inverness."

"I am forever in your debt sir," Emma said with a bright smile. "Thank you, truly. I… I do seem to have lost track in all of the confusion though, when is Saturday next?"

"Five days from now, meanwhile," Colum said as he rose from his chair, "I offer you the hospitality of our humble home."

"Thank you, truly sir, I am forever in the debt of the Clan Mackenzie," Emma replied as she took his hand and squeezed it. Emma gave him a quick nod before leaving the room. She made her way out onto the ramparts, watching the goings on in the courtyard below. Maybe this wasn't going to be so different from her time, she could survive for a few days, people were still people, she hoped.

….

Emma made her way down to dinner, peering around the corner of the door before she entered the room. She should have expected it, but when the room fell silent, she couldn't help the blush that crept up her face, nor that her heart began to gallop in her chest. She quickly made her way down the aisle between the tables and curtseyed before Colum at the head table. She'd felt ridiculous curtseying so she'd made a point of practicing in her room so that she didn't look as foolish as she had initially looked. Dougal quickly rose and offered her a seat between him and his brother.

"Allow me," Colum said as he poured her a glass of wine.

"Oh, thank you," Emma said with a small smile. She took a small sip from the glass, not wanting to seem rude to her host. She carefully set down the beautiful goblet and nodded to Colum.

"May I present my wife, Leticia, Leticia Mrs. Emma Beauchamp an English lady of Oxfordshire," Colum said formally.

"Pleasure to meet you," Leticia replied in her highland drawl.

"The pleasure is mine, truly," Emma said with a grateful smile.

"I trust Mrs. Fitzgibbons found you comfortable lodgings," Colum asked.

"Very," Emma assured him. "She's a wonder."

"The wonder is how she manages bannocks like these with the ovens we have in the kitchens," Leticia said as she tossed a roll to Emma.

Emma sat the roll on her plate, carefully tearing off a piece of it before popping it into her mouth. She glanced up for a moment and caught Angus staring at her from his table. She glanced away, not missing Colum refilling not only his glass but topping off hers as well.

"Why Beauchamp," Colum asked as he studied her.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I was wondering why you call yourself Emma Beauchamp."

"It's my name, what else would I call myself," Emma asked as she took another bite of the bread. She added a few more things to her plate as she listened to Colum. She carefully avoided the wine, she knew that it would not mix well with the apparent direction of this conversation, though interrogation would be the better word for it.

"Aye, but if your family hailed from France would it not be more properly Beauchamp?"

"Well, the ties we have to France are old but not close, at some point I suspect an ancestor decided to adopt the English pronunciation. You know how we English love to rename things," Emma explained, she wondered if it would have been easier to defend Randall as it was becoming more and more difficult to be a Beauchamp.

"And what part of France do your folk come from exactly?"

"From the north, near Compiegne," Emma said before taking a tiny sip of wine. She desperately scrabbled for a different topic of conversation, anything to deflect the attention from herself. "I trust Mr. McTavish is feeling better."

"Mr. McTavish," Leticia asked.

"She means young Jamie," Dougal supplied.

"Jamie? Why whatever is a matter with the lad," she asked.

"Naught but a scratch my dear," Colum replied. "Where is he though Dougal?"

"I sent him to the stables to help Old Alec with the horses," Dougal replied.

"The stables," Colum asked.

"Best place for him under the circumstances, we don't want him inside the walls. It's yours to choose if you don't agree with my orders," Dougal said. Emma took another nervous sip of wine, glancing between the brothers as they bantered past her.

"I reckon he'll do well enough there," Colum allowed. "Bring us a bottle of the renish."

A servant quickly produced the bottle and passed it to Colum. He went to pour some into her glass, but saw that it was still close to full.

"Ah now you won't find this in Oxfordshire, it won't do though, you must finish your glass to try this," Colum chastised.

"My apologies, I… your brother can attest to this, I'm not much of a drinker, Jamie claimed it made me testy on the road here," Emma said quickly with a small shrug and a pointed look at Dougal.

"Aye, she gets a rather foul mouth when she drinks," Dougal warned.

"Well," Colum said with a nod. "You are certainly missing out, are you bound for Compiegne then?"

"Compiegne, yes of course, my brother made arrangements for me to stay with some distant family there," Emma explained. Colum offered up a toast and Emma grabbed her glass taking another tiny sip of the wine.

"It's a lovely city, wouldn't you agree," Colum asked.

"I wouldn't know, I've never been there before. Have you," Emma asked as she met his gaze. It was a hard look, hidden beneath a smile, it said I know what you are trying to do, good luck.

"First visit," Colum asked.

"Yes, as I said before I've never been before."

"Never met them?"

"The relatives in France, no, France is a bit far for a day trip to search for distance family."

"A joyous occasion, I imagine," Colum said with a grin.

"I certainly hope so," Emma said graciously.

A little boy came running up the aisle between the tables and Emma couldn't help but smile at the memory of him playing with Dougal in the courtyard earlier in the day. "Hello, my name is Emma," she said as she extended her hand to him.

"Go on then, give her your name," Leticia ordered.

"Hamish," he said quickly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Hamish, I saw you playing in the courtyard earlier. You're a good fighter to take on Dougal like that," Emma said with a genuine smile. She'd always liked children, she hoped to have several of her own someday.

"He's a good fighter indeed," Dougal responded. "Like his uncle he is."

Emma glanced between the men for a moment, wondering, if Hamish was Colum's son then why did Dougal seem so familiar and caring toward him? Not everyone treated their nephews the way Dougal treated young Hamish. The thought flitted through her mind, unbidden and Emma glanced again at Dougal. His gaze narrowed and Emma couldn't help but wonder if he knew what she was thinking.

"I… I think the rigors of the last few days are catching up with me, if it's all right, I think I will retire early tonight," Emma said before rising from her seat. Dougal rose as well and pulled her chair out of the way.

"A good night to you then Mrs. Beauchamp."

"It's Miss, not Mrs." Emma said quickly. "I'm not married."

"My apologies, I… forgot," Colum said as he inclined his head to the side. Emma knew he was challenging her, waiting for her to slip up.

"No offense taken, good night then," Emma said before slowly walking from the room. She didn't want to appear to be fleeing, even if that was the case. Emma hurried from the room, pausing to lean against the wall. She drew in a ragged breath pulling a hand through her hair.

"Are you all right mistress," someone asked.

Emma let out a yelp and jumped in surprise. She turned to find Jamie standing next to her an apologetic look on his face. Emma drew in a deep breath and hit him on his good shoulder. "You scared me half to death, you shouldn't sneak up on someone like that."

"I called your name as you left the hall, you seemed to be in a rush, are you all right," Jamie asked.

"I… I'm not used to people… never mind, it doesn't matter."

"Seems to matter to you."

"That doesn't mean it has to matter to you, thank you though," Emma said as she offered him a shy smile. "I don't want to burden with you my troubles."

"Might make you feel better if you do," Jamie pointed out.

"Why are you being so nice to me? Everyone… everyone else is staring at me like… like they are waiting for me to do something terrible, as though I rode in on the hounds of hell and am going to destroy everything. I'm just… I'm just a girl."

"You're more than that Emma, you healed my wounds," Jamie reminded her. "As for being kind to ya, ya've earned it, but more than that you deserve kindness in your life. A woman… a woman such as yourself deserves all the fine things in life, kindness being one of them."

Emma flushed a soft shade of pink as she glanced down at her hands. "Thank you, that is very sweet of you to say," she murmured before looking back up at him. "How is your shoulder by the way?"

"Fine, lass, just fine," Jamie replied. He started to say something but caught sight of someone or something over her shoulder. Emma turned and found Dougal standing there watching the two of them.

"Good night Mr. McTavish," Emma said quickly before stepping around Jamie and rushing down the hallway.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: I apologize for this update taking so long, there is something that I need to address though. I received a review on the last chapter telling me that I am dangerously close to plagiarizing another fanfiction author, and was told to look up the definition of plagiarism. I am NOT plagiarizing the other author's story and it makes me sad that I have to even defend myself, there is no monopoly on a character being a nurse or having been raped. It is all about how each character responds to it and moves on from it. In addition to that review several of you have been encouraging me to give you more original content, now you will have to be patient, but I swear it is coming. People felt that I was following the show and book too closely and you were all right. I was, but I am changing things up, the relationship between Emma and Jamie is going to develop more quickly and the story will diverge all together in episode 5. I know that is a ways to go, but hopefully it will be worth the wait. To those of you who reviewed the last chapter and have been enjoying the story and are being supportive I say thank you and I am sorry for the slight outburst. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

The next morning Emma made her way down to the kitchens. The only person she trusted in Castle Leoch, aside from Jamie, was Mrs. Fitz. She knew that if Mrs. Fitz suspected that she was something other than what she claimed, the older woman would not act on it, and hopefully not gossip about it either. Emma wandered over and offered her a shy smile.

"I was thinking that I should change the bandage on Mr. McTavish's shoulder," Emma explained. At the blank look on her face Emma offered another explanation. "Jamie? Tall red head? Where would I find the stables?"

"Top of the meadow, to the east," Mrs. Fitz offered. "If you'll wait a moment, I'll put together a basket for you, the lad is sure to be hungry, always is that one, and you did miss breakfast."

"That would be wonderful, thank you," Emma said as she shifted out of the way. Mrs. Fitz found a basket for her, quickly loading it with some bandages and food. She passed it to Emma with a bright smile.

"He's a good lad Jamie, a bit stubborn though."

"I'll keep that in mind," Emma said after a moment. She didn't entirely understand what Mrs. Fitz was trying to tell her. She wondered briefly if she thought Emma was seeking Jamie out for other reasons, attraction being one of them. She couldn't deny that Jamie was an attractive man, tall and broad shouldered, hair that gleamed like fire in the sunlight, with the most adorable curls she'd ever seen on a man's head. She couldn't help the blush that crept up her neck and face as she remembered his sculpted torso and the gentle way he held her as she'd cried. The memory of him holding her as she cried, gently wiping away her tears, and the soft kiss he'd placed on her cheek swept through her, warming her.

Emma nodded to the woman before collecting the basket and making her way out of the kitchen. She took her time walking to the stables, mindful of the path she was taking, and careful to stay out of the way of others. She caught sight of Rupert as she made her way through some out buildings, she shook her head, he was not being very subtle about following her.

Emma made her way up the hill, smiling when she saw Jamie in the paddock with a white horse. His arm was still tied up in the bandage she'd put around him. Emma couldn't help but watch in fascination as Jamie spoke to the horse in Gaelic. Emma wandered up to the fence, watching in silence as the horse seemed to float gracefully around the paddock. Emma shifted forward bumping into a cup that clattered to the ground. She gasped when the horse whined at the noise and reared up, its front legs kicking at Jamie.

Emma stumbled back a few steps as Jamie fell to his knees. He swore in Gaelic as the horse walked away from him, he slung the bandage that had been holding his arm to his chest in frustration. He looked around to find Emma staring at him, a look of apprehension on her face.

"Are you all right? I didn't mean to startle the horse, I'm so sorry," Emma said quickly. She could feel a deep blush creeping across her face as she nervously tucked a loose curl behind her ear.

"It's all right, just a girl with spirt is all," Jamie said as he glanced over at the horse. "That's always a good thing. What can I do for you Mistress Beauchamp?"

Emma blinked rather owlishly at him, surprised by how formal he was being with her. Not two days ago he'd gathered in his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. Last night he'd told her she deserved all the fine things in life, kindness among them. Wondering what had brought on the change, she bit her lower lip as she glanced up to meet his gaze.

"Emma, my name is Emma, you don't have to keep calling me Mistress Beauchamp," Emma replied.

"Just being polite Emma, meant no offense," Jamie explained as he came over to the fence. "You didn't answer my question though, what can I do for you? Must be a reason you wandered all the way up here and with a basket no less."

"I… I was going to…, never mind, I can see that you are busy," Emma stuttered out. She didn't why she was suddenly so nervous. She had wanted to see him before, wanted to spend some time with him, but now that she was standing before him she just wanted to go back to her room and hide. Emma spun around quickly to walk back to the castle, gasping when her skirt caught on the fence.

"Lass, stop," Jamie said as he easily climbed over the fence and came to her side. He freed her skirt and took the basket from her hands before she could say anything else. "Seems you brought some bandages and a bit of lunch."

"I thought I could change the bandage on your shoulder, the food was Mrs. Fitz idea. She thought you would be hungry," Emma explained shyly.

"Aye," Jamie said with a smile. He motioned for her to follow him as he led the way over to an open stall. Emma carefully lowered herself to the ground next to him, spreading out the contents of the basket. Jamie removed his vest and placed it aside, loosening his shirt before turning his attention to the food.

They didn't speak as they ate, the silence was companionable though a bit awkward. Emma wanted to tell him that she wasn't upset about what had happened when she'd tended his shoulder. She thought perhaps she had overreacted, it had to be natural for a man to think of a woman in that way while holding her as closely as Jamie had held her. Emma blushed deeply, avoiding looking at him for several minutes as she ate silently.

"Do you want the rest of this as well," she asked as she watched Jamie eat the bulk of the food. She understood what Mrs. Fitz meant about him always being hungry. She held out the piece of bread she'd been eating, offering him a shy smile.

"Ah, you should eat it lass, you weren't at breakfast this morning."

"Everyone gets up so early here, I'm not used it," Emma admitted. "Well that and the last few days have been rather… emotional."

Jamie simply nodded in response before turning to look at her. "Your brother, what was he like?"

"Frank? He was… he was smart, he an amazing mind for history and was fascinated by our family tree, he was able to trace it back several generations," Emma said before she could stop herself. She knew that there was nothing wrong with what she said, it didn't reveal anything about where she was really from. "He was a teacher, he helped me with my schooling when we were younger. His wife, Claire, was the one who encouraged me to become a nur… a healer."

"And you enjoy it? Being a healer," Jamie asked.

"I do, I like helping people, making them feel better when they are ill, mending their scratches. I feel like it gives me a sense of purpose, and I'm good at it, or so I've been told. I… I like being needed," Emma admitted. "What about you? What do you… do? Does your family live around here?"

"No, my family is not near. As for me, I do a bit of this and that, I enjoy working with the horses."

"You aren't from here though, are you," Emma asked. "You seem… you seem a bit set a part from the other men, not stand-offish of course, just… like maybe you don't belong with them, but with someone else."

"For a Sassenach you ken a lot about how a clan works," Jamie replied.

Emma stared at him in surprise. "I don't know anything about how the clans work, it was just something I've noticed about you. They all care for you deeply, they probably would have left you on the road if they didn't. I didn't mean to offend you."

"No offense lass," Jamie said with a chuckle. "I have to be a bit stand-offish as you said. There's a price on my head, ten pounds sterling."

"What does that have to do with the other men?"

"I trust most of them with my life, but most people can't know who I am, there's the watch and redcoats about. Some of the tenets might turn me in simply for the profit, ten pounds sterling is a good bit of money lass," Jamie explained.

"That's awfully high for simply escaping from prison, wasn't the flogging enough punishment," Emma said as she glanced down at her folded hands. The idea of him being flogged still bothered her greatly, he seemed like an immensely kind person, why would anyone want to hurt him so severely?

"Not for escape, for murder," Jamie said. Emma's eyes snapped up to meet his own. He held her gaze, Emma knew her eyes had widened in shock. "I didna actually kill the man I'm wanted for though."

"You have a very complicated life," Emma pointed out. She sighed and shook her head as she studied him for a long moment. She knew he was trying to shock her with the way he'd told her. She couldn't really say that she was shocked though, she didn't think he went around killing people on a regular basis, but she knew he'd at least severely injured if not killed the redcoats that had ambushed them in the woods. "How does one end up wanted for a murder they did not commit?"

"It's a simple story," Jamie said with a chuckle. "I told you what happened to me at Fort William, I could hardly move after a day or two of being flogged the second time. I had fever from the wounds, though if you had been there I expect I wouldn't have taken quite so ill. You've got a healing touch. Once I could stand again there was some… some friends my shift to get me out of camp by… means I best not go into, wouldn't want to… shock you with the details. There was some ruckus as we left, and a red coat was shot."

"Not by you, if you had fever and could barely stand how did you shot him? I've seen the gun that you carry, how could have fired it accurately while riding in that condition," Emma asked. "It would no small miracle if you'd managed to hit anyone much less seriously injure them."

"To tell you the truth I was too weak to do anythin but hang on to the horse. Four years ago now, more like a dream, but there it is," Jamie said before standing and beginning to pull his vest back on.

"So you can't go home because of the price on your head, I'm guessing McTavish is not your real last name then. You have enough sense to change your name to protect yourself," Emma said. She knew that instinct all too well she mused.

"No, no it's not."

"A Nome dagure," Emma supplied.

"Aye, if you like," Jamie replied with a grin. "That was a valuable piece of information."

Jamie squatted next to her and Emma studied him for a moment as he watched her break a piece of hay into smaller bits. "I doubt there are informers in the castle itself, but there might be some in the countryside that'd be glad enough to earn a few pennies by letting the English know where I was, if they know I was a wanted man," Jamie explained. "The watch has no problem turning their own kind over if it earns them some coin. I'd hate to go back to that hell hole because the wrong person knew."

Emma met his gaze, her own holding a deep concern. "Does Colum know," she whispered. Knowing what she now did, she didn't want to let anyone in on his secret.

"That I'm an outlaw? Aye Colum knows, and Dougal, but they're uncles on my mother's side. Dougal was there when I was flogged. He… he helped rescue me."

"Now I know," Emma said her voice quivering with nerves. "Why would you tell me? I'm practically a stranger to you! How do you know that you can trust me? Hell you could have lied!"

"You asked," Jamie said with a shrug, as though it made all the sense in the world for her to know. He didn't seem at all shocked at her choice of words which relieved her.

"I suppose I could have lied, didn't think of that," Jamie replied. He leaned closer to her, his lips right at her ear, brushing the shell of her ear making her shiver slightly. "I decided to trust ya instead."

"Can I trust you," Emma asked as she looked down at her hands again, she could feel herself flushing as she avoided his gaze. "I think I can, but how do you know you can trust another person? Really trust them I mean?"

"I don't know Sassenach, something in me gut tells me you won't be telling tales about me to anyone, you don't seem like that sort of lass. As for me, if you ask me not to tell your tales, I won't," Jamie replied. "My honor means enough to me to not."

"My last name, it's not really Beauchamp," Emma admitted as she looked up to meet Jamie's gaze. She studied him for a long moment, trying to decide if she could actually trust him. "You told me your secret, it's only fair that you know mine. I… I've never met Captain Randall before that day, but I lied to him when he asked me my name because… we have the same last name, we are very distantly related I think, but I didn't want him to know."

Emma shifted nervously, glancing away from Jamie before she rushed on. "I was frightened, I had been attacked earlier in the day, and then the soldiers were shooting at me, I was running rather clumsily through the woods, scared out of my wits, when I saw him… I… well I thought he was my brother, strangely enough they bear a remarkable resemblance to one another. I… I knew that if I… if I told him my real last name, I'd never get away from him, I'd never be free of him. There was just something about him, just looking at him I could see… there is a darkness in that man, a… I don't know how to explain it almost a desire to… hurt and control people. I didn't know what else to do so I lied, I used my sister-in-law's last name. I was afraid that Murtagh had heard it, so I kept lying, to Dougal, to Colum, to everyone. You're the first person I've told and I am… I am terrified that they will kill me if they find out, or worse hand me over to that monster," Emma finished in a whisper. She glanced up at Jamie for the first time, fear written all over her face as she waited for him to say something, anything really. She had just put her fate in his hands, she was trusting him as he had trusted her and she was praying it wasn't going to bite her in the ass.

Someone said something in Gaelic and Emma started in fear, her eyes widening as she jerked away from Jamie. "Are you done stuffing your face while the horses run wild? And when will that colt be broken," the old man asked. Jamie offered Emma his hand and helped her to her feet.

"None the sooner for starvin myself," Jamie replied. The old man glanced between the two of them before turning and striding away.

"I didn't mean to get you into trouble," Emma said softly as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"No trouble lass, I best be returning to work though, thank you for the food."

"Of course, anytime," Emma replied. She started to move away from him, fear settling in her stomach over what she had told him. Jamie caught hold of her hand though and pulled her to a stop.

"I give you my word Sassenach, I'll not tell a soul your secret, I swear it," Jamie said before moving away from her. Emma watched him leave, smiling at him when he glanced back at her over his shoulder. She made her way out of the stall and immediately noticed Rupert waiting for her.

"Are you following me," Emma asked. Rupert put his knife away and avoided her gaze. "If you'd said something we could have shared our lunch with you."

Emma offered him a sweet smile before starting back to the castle. She paused for a moment before turning back to him. "Did Dougal ask you to follow me? Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

"Ken for a woman you ask a fair amount of questions."

"So I've been told, apparently curiosity runs in my family."

"Well I've not any answers for you. I am but Dougal's eyes, not his head. Let me warn you mistress, these eyes won't be turning their gaze from you until the head orders me to," Rupert explained. Emma heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes before walking away from him. "As for your conversations, I don't ken what the two of you talk about it, you can charm him all you want, makes no difference to me lass."

….

Later that afternoon Emma was making her way to the kitchens when she crossed paths with Dougal. She offered him a shy smile as he paused to study her.

"How are you finding Leoch Mistress Emma," he asked.

"It's lovely, truly, I was curious though, surely Rupert has better things to do all day than follow me about. Is there something you suspect me of or are you just concerned I'll get lost," Emma asked, keeping a polite smile on her face all the while.

"Both, actually."

"What is it exactly that you suspect me of," Emma asked curiously.

"I suspect that you might be an English spy."

"A spy? Me?" Emma clenched her fists in annoyance, really if these people knew her at all they would realize that she would be an absolutely terrible spy. She didn't even speak Gaelic, very few people spoke it in her time and she'd certainly never thought to learn it.

"You havena told the truth about who and what ya are, of that I'm sure, and until I am sure of ya, I'll have ya watched day and night. Now ya ken my mind," Dougal said as he shifted closer to her with every few words.

Emma backed away from him just as quickly as he approached. There was something about him and the way he looked at her that she did not trust at all. He just made her incredibly uncomfortable with the way his eyes swept over her every time he saw her.

"Very well," Emma snapped, annoyed that he actually thought a woman who didn't speak a bit of Gaelic could be a spy. "I think you'll find that I'll be doing very little of interest over the next four days. You should ken my mind as well, I'm not a spy! Just because I have things that I'm not telling you doesn't make me a spy! Have any of you considered that I don't trust you any more than you trust me? Why should I bare my soul to a bunch of strangers who obviously don't trust me?"

"You are lying about who you are, and I am going to find out who you are. What do you mean four days," Dougal asked.

"I leave with Mr. Petree on Saturday," Emma explained.

"On whose orders?"

"Your brother said he would arrange it for me, forgive me, I thought he would have told you," Emma replied. "It's odd isn't it, a spy who doesn't speak the native language of the people she's supposed to be spying on? Doesn't make her a very effective spy, does it? Nor do I know how to fight, an effective spy would need to know how to protect herself as well. I must be the worst spy ever."

With that, Emma turned and strode down the hallway. She knew that Dougal didn't trust her, but she couldn't help but wonder if Colum was as suspicious of her. If he suspected she was a spy as well would he prevent her from leaving on Saturday?

**Are you guys ready for the finale? I'm not ready, not in the slightest, and I've read the book so I have a pretty good idea of what is going to happen. Thanks again to those of you who are reviewing its been very helpful. I'm a little concerned that I'm changing Jamie a little too much and he's becoming OOC, what do you guys think? **


End file.
